The last dance
by Djuro
Summary: When her father died, a part of her died. Tori needs every help she can get. Jade, Cat, Andre, Beck and Robbie want to help. But they don't know how. Rated T for cursing Later chapters . Read/review. Be honest. Hope you enjoy it.
1. Dead eyes

The last dance

She is sitting on the floor of Hollywood Arts, below her locker. Her stare is empty. Her eyes are dead. She feels nothing, It was too much. Others pass by and greet her. She doesn't greet back. She doesn't acknowledge them. She doesn't care. Not about them. Not about anything now. She stopped caring about life altogether. Trina is not at school today. She is crying with her mother. A police is officer still with them. He was the bearer of bad news. Mr. Vega had been shot during an attempt to stop a bank robbery. The robbers opened fire out of nowhere. A bullet hit him right in the chest, ripping his left lung into pieces. He bled out a minute late. There was nothing anyone could do. Tori picked her things up that morning and walked to school, ignoring her crying sister and hysteric mother. She didn't know what else she could do. Something inside her died the very moment she heard it. Now she is sitting here, not registering time or space. She doesn't think about anything. She is simply sitting there. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She didn't turn her head to see who it was. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"Tori. I heard about your father. I'm sorry, but you shouldn't even be here." Andre said. He didn't know how to approach his best friend now. He didn't know how to deal with a situation like this. He never wanted to find out either.

She didn't respond. She didn't look at him. Her hands were hugging her knees. Her head rested on them.

"Tori, say something, please." He begged. He never saw her like this. This wasn't her. This wasn't the beautiful, happy, carefree girl who always helped everyone. How could life do this to her?

Cat and Robbie came by. Oblivious to what happened, they greeted them as always.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Robbie greeted. He looked at the younger Vega, confusion filling his face.

"Tori?" Cat came closer to her. "Tori? What's wrong?" she placed both arms on Tori's shoulders. There was no response. Not even a look. She looked back up at Andre. "Did something happen." Andre took them aside for a moment. He didn't want to tell it in front of Tori, scared he would break her even more.

"Guys, her dad was shot during that bank robbery this morning. He is dead." Andre explained, looking back at Tori, who hadn't moved an inch for the past thirty minutes.

Shock filled their faces. Robbie was stunned silent while Cat, putting her hand over her mouth to prevent her from squealing, moved over to Tori and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"Oh my god. Tori, I'm sorry." She whispered. No reaction. She tightened her grip, her carefree eyes switching from shock to worry periodically.

"Why is she here? Shouldn't she be at home or…?" Robbie asked Andre, never finishing his sentence. He couldn't find anymore words.

"I already asked her. I got the same reaction you guys did. We should bring her to Lane." He said, He saw Beck and Jade approaching. They were back together, thanks to the lifeless girl and the talk she had with them three days ago.

"Hi guys." Beck greeted as usual, Jade holding his hand, a cup of coffee in her other hand. She notices Cat hugging Tori for dear life. She walks over to them, not knowing what was going on.

"What happened, Vega? Did your hamster die?" She sneered, a smirk appearing on her face. That smirk disappeared a second later, thanks to the dead-glare she received from the usually perky redhead. No reaction from Tori. No look of annoyance. No eye rolling. Nothing.

"What the…?" Beck uttered, looking at them, then back at Andre and Robbie. Andre hated repeating the same story, but he had to. He had to be the calm one in this situation.

"Her father got shot this morning. The bank robbery a few blocks away. He's dead." Beck's expression was something no one ever believed could be seen on the usually cool, laid back teenager. Jade looked over at them, realization hitting her like a meteor.

"Oh god. Tori…" she gasped, guilt forming itself within her for the past remark. She stood there, not knowing what to say. To do. Beck walked next to her, Robbie and Andre quick to follow.

"Tori. I'm so sorry." He said, his voice filled with empathy. They watched the girl in Cat's arms. It wasn't the Tori they knew. This girl was dead. No emotions could be seen on her. No reaction. No movement. Only blinking and breathing were visible, and she wouldn't have done them if it wasn't automatic.

"Tori, please, let us take you home." Andre pleaded. She shouldn't be here. He didn't know where she should be now, but definitely not here.

"Tori?" Jade leaned down, placing a hand on Tori's arm. "Tori, please, say something?" she pleaded, to no avail.

"I'll go get Lane." Robbie left, Beck right behind him.

"Tori, please, we want to help you." Cat said softly, never letting go of her. Suddenly she felt something. Tori began to shake. Her eyes filled with tears. She didn't cry out loud. She was holding everything inside her. The tears were running down her cheeks. Jade was rubbing her back, trying to comfort her as much as possible. She saw Cat chocking up herself.

"Tori, we are all here. Please." He pleaded. God, why her? What should he do? Is there anything he can do at all?

Robbie, Beck and Lane walked over to them.

"Tori. I'm sorry about your loss. Please, you shouldn't be at school. Go home, I will notify the teachers." Lane said softly. This was completely new to him too.

"I… I can't go home." Tori spoke up for the first time. Everyone turned their heads to her, shocked and relieved at the same time that Tori had spoken up.

"Why not?" Cat asked softly.  
"Mom. Trina. Everything… reminds me of him. I… I…" she was gone again. The shaking got stronger. It was overwhelming her. She was broken, and she knew it.

"We need to do something, guys." Beck spoke up. He looked around. Nobody knew what to do. This was like a nightmare. All this time, Tori had helped them with every situation that ever came, and now, when she needed them, no one knows what to do.

"Tori, you can stay at my place. My dad is never home anyway. Do you want to stay at my place?" Jade asked softly, the others staring at them, desperately hoping for any reaction. Tori weakly nodded. Jade got up and faced her friends and Lane.

"Guys, look, I'll get her to my place and she will stay there for now. If she doesn't want to go home, we can't force her. We can't leave her alone either. One of us should always keep an eye on her.

"I agree. If you want you can take turns in watching her. You will be excused from school, of course." Lane said. He continued:" I will call her mother and explain. She shouldn't worry about more things now. Take care of her and tell me if you need anything." He said and went to his office.

Jade and Cat helped Tori up. Her body was numb. She was barely able to stand without assistance. Cat had put her arm around Tori's waist, helping her walk. They were walking towards the parking lot.

"Guys, look, I will go get some of her things and see how Trina and Miss Vega are. You get her to Jade's place." Robbie said.

"I'm going too." Beck added, searching for his car keys.

"I'm going with you two. She wouldn't want you to go trough her things." Cat said as she helped Tori enter Jade's car. The three of them went off to Beck's car. Andre was sitting in the backseat with his best friend while Jade was driving.

Tori hadn't said anything else since last time. The silence was awful. They felt helpless. They felt stupid for not knowing how to help her. They were angry at themselves, evident from Jade's aggressive driving and Andre's facial expression.

They finally arrived at Jade's place. Jade unlocked her front door while Andre helped Tori in. He sat her down on the couch. He could barely hold it together himself. Watching his best friend like this was too much for him. Tori lied down on the couch. She had stopped crying in the car. Now her face was emotionless again. Jade sat next to her, gently stroking Tori's hair.

"Tori, we are going to help you. But please, you have to tell us when you need anything. I know it's hard, but please, let us help you." She said softly. She felt Tori's head move, Tori looking right into her green eyes. Her eyes filled with tears again, as she moved herself so her head was in Jade's lap. Tori started crying. It weren't only tears. She was really crying. Jade continued to comfort her best she could. Andre cursed God in his mind for doing this to his best friend. She didn't deserve this. This must be some sick joke life decided to play. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. It made him angry, but even more, it scared him. It scared them all. The possibility of Tori falling apart in front of them, and them not being able to prevent it, scared them to death. Jade looked back over at Andre. They both knew that they were thinking the same thing. But they had to be strong for Tori. It was their turn to help her.


	2. Trina's wish

The phone had been ringing all day. Relatives. Friends. Everyone wanted to find out if it was true. Everyone wanted to say their condolences. Give their prayers. Ms. Vega had not been able to say anything since she got heard of her spouses passing. Trina was the one who dealt with the calls. She talked with the relatives. She talked with the family friends. She was the one who arranged the funeral. She took over when it was the most important. She was the one who talked Lane about Tori. She understood her sister. She knew what was happening. She also knew that Tori wouldn't be coming home for a time. She understood.

"Yes… Yes… Ms. Jordan… Thank you… mom is upstairs; she is still in shock… Yes, thank you for your prayers… I'll let you know when the funeral is. Thank you. Bye." She hung up. She had the very same conversation a hundredth time today. She would go up every twenty minutes to check on her mother. She was like Tori; curled up in her bed, not saying a word.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'm coming!" she called before putting down her glass of water. She walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hey guys." She greeted them with a weak smile. Robbie, Beck and Cat were standing there, a hundred emotions going trough them. None of them was a positive one.

"Hey. Trina. We are so sorry for your loss. We came over to pick up some of Tori's things. She…" Robbie tried to explain.

"I know. She is at Jade's. Lane called. Come in." they entered the house. Each one of them gave her a hug, giving her their condolences one more time. They were surprised at Trina's behavior. She acted like an adult. Hell, better than most adults would in this situation.

"Please, take a seat. You want something to drink?" she offered, walking over to the fridge. They all shook their heads. Cat walked over to her.

"Trina, are you okay? Come on, sit down a minute."

"I'm fine guys. It's just, the phone has been ringing all day and I haven't been able to even sit down a minute." She said giving them a small smile. The redness of her cheeks was only matched by the redness of her eyes. She was crying. She didn't even try to hide it. She walked over to the couch and sat down with the three.

"How is Tori?" she asked, genuinely worried. The unselfishness they all witnessed took them all back. This wasn't the Trina they knew. But again, Tori wasn't herself either.

"We saw her in school this morning. She was just sitting there, hugging her knees and resting her head on them. She spoke only once the whole time, saying she couldn't come home." Beck explained. Trina only nodded. Her face told a story of understanding. Like she knew what was going on in her baby sister's head.

"She and mom are like that. They shut off completely. Mom is upstairs in such a state herself."

"But… Trina, do you need help with anything? I mean the funeral? The relatives need to know too." Cat went off, but Trina only raised her hand, signaling her friend she can stop asking.

"I already called the relatives and closest friends. I also set up the funeral. I will know the exact time tomorrow."

"Is there anything we can do?" Robbie asked, concern visible in his expression." I mean, you need to rest yourself. You look tired."

"Oh, trust me I am. But I have to take care of these things today. But guys, instead of worrying about me, take care of Tori. She needs you more than me."

"Trina…" Beck tried to speak up, but was cut off by the older Vega sister.

"I remember when grandma died. Tori was just like you explained. She shut herself off completely. She didn't eat. She didn't drink. She was like a doll sitting there, a tear or two would occasionally slide down her cheeks. It freaked the hell out of me. But it takes her a few days. Eventually, it will overwhelm her, and then she will let it all out. So please, Lane told me about your plan, keep an eye on her. Make sure she eats regularly. Just take care of her until she is better. I have to take care of mom, but I know Tori is in good hands with you. If you don't have time, just…"

"Trina, well take care of her. Don't worry." Cat interrupted, placing her hands on Trina's shoulders. A small sign of relief appeared on Trina's face.

"I'll go get some of Tori's things." Cat said and went upstairs with the bag they brought with them.

"Look, if we can help in any way, just let us know, okay?" Beck said. He didn't know what to do, but if he could help in any way, he would without hesitation.

"Thank you. Just make sure Tori is okay. She is fragile now. Don't let her break." Trina said, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. She would cry later. She still had a lot to do. She needed to stay strong, just these few days.

"I'm sorry that I ask, but what about money? If you need any, I can ask my dad to help you." Robbie suggested, knowing that it could become a serious issue in the future with one income less. Beck nodded, about to make the same offer.

"No, it's not necessary. You see, we will still get his pension, and my dad also took precautions. When mom got pregnant with me, he took up a life insurance. In matter of finances, there won't be any problems. But thank you for the offer. You guys are sweet." She thanked them and pulled both in for a hug. Cat came down, the bag full with Tori's clothes and some other things she thought Tori would need.

"I'm done guys. If I missed anything, we can always come again." She said as she came down.

"Look Trina, we will come here after school to keep you posted about Tori. Okay?" Robbie suggested.

"Okay. Thank you again."

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

"And call if you need something." Beck repeated for the hundredth time, simply wanting to make sure Trina would remember and take them up on it.

"Just take care of Tori." She reassured them and greeted them goodbye. She went back up to check on her mother. Miss Vega was still lying motionless in her bed. Trina sat down on the edge of the bad, placing a hand on her mothers arm.

"Mom. I took care of everything. Tori is with her friends. It would be too much if she stayed here. You know how she is. I'll be downstairs if you need me." She softly kissed her mothers cheek and went back downstairs, only turning around at her mother's short response.

"Thank you, honey." Even in this state, Miss Vega was thankful to God that she had Trina. She was like her father: silly and stubborn at nature, but the most reliable person when it was necessary.

The three of them were driving back to Jade's place. The ride was silent for a while. Everyone had to take in what they saw first. Trina had surprised everyone with her behavior.

"I have never seen Trina like this. She… I mean she wasn't selfish as usual. She wasn't silly as usual. She…" Cat stuttered, not being able to formulate her thoughts into articulate sentences.

"She was what she needed to be now." Beck finished, knowing exactly what Cat meant. "I've seen people like this. Whenever things would go south, someone always would step up and get the job done. Trina took over exactly that role." He explained, his eyes never leaving the road. Cat only nodded in agreement.

"You heard what she said. Tori shut off and it will take a while before she opens up to us." Robbie spoke up, looking at his two friends." How do we approach this? I mean, we can't just run into this head first. We need to be very careful."

"I think we should just try to take her mind off it as good as we can. You know, get her to do things she loves doing. Make it easier for her." Beck suggested.

"Well talk with Andre and Jade when we get there. Maybe they have an idea." Cat responded, not knowing what to do.

After a few more minutes they arrived. They got out of Beck's car and went into the house. They saw Tori lying on the couch, her head in Jade's lap, who was gently stroking her hair. Andre was in the kitchen making him and Jade some coffee.

"Hey guys." Andre greeted them. Beck and Robbie went over to him, while Cat went over to Jade. Cat kneeled down beside Tori, gently rubbing the crying girls back. She and Jade exchanged looks of worry and sadness. The guys were talking about what they should do.

"I think we should all take turns. You know, I come over tomorrow and watch her. Someone else comes over the next day." Andre said as he went into the living room and sat down on a chair. The others agreed.

"I'll be here anyway, so I can take care of her today." Jade said. She wanted to help. She finally could pay Tori back for every time Tori helped her. She wouldn't let one of her best friends fall apart.

"Okay. I'll come over tomorrow then." Andre said.

"We can bring the homework after school, although I doubt that that is important at the moment." Robbie said, trying to keep everything in mind.

"We can explain it to the teachers. I'm sure they will understand." Cat answered, still kneeling next to her friends.

"I'll go get something to eat." Beck got up, quickly followed by Andre and Robbie. Trough all this, they forgot that they didn't even have breakfast, and it was 2 pm right now.

"Tori, are you hungry? You have to eat something." Jade said softly. Tori only nodded her head.

"We'll go and get some sushi from Nozu's. It won't take long." Beck said and they went outside. The girls could hear the car doors open and the car drive off. Cat looked back at Tori, who was still crying. You couldn't hear it, but the shaking of her body said it all.

"Don't worry. We are here. Your sister is taking care of everything, and we will take care of you." Cat softly said. Tori turned around, facing both Cat and Jade now. Her eyes and her face were red from all the crying. She only said two more words that day, before shutting off again. And those two words meant as much to Cat and Jade as they broke their hearts, seeing their friend in this state.

"Thank you."


	3. Promise

It was 3 am. Tori was sitting in Jade's bed: her arms hugging her knees; her head resting on them; her eyes closed. The tears were escaping no matter how hard she tried. She hated life. She hated the world. She hated the fact that she would never see her father again. She hated the fact that she would never see him singing to the radio in the morning again. That she would never talk to him again. That he wouldn't be there when she graduates. That he wouldn't be there when she enters college. That he wouldn't be there when she records her first single. He wouldn't be there for her wedding. He will never meet his grandchildren. He will never hug her again before going to work. He will never kiss her forehead again when he is proud of her. It hurt her. It hurt her that she never got the chance to say goodbye to him. Her last words she told him were a joke about his singing. Her tears became stronger. She couldn't hold it back anymore. She openly cried. She tried to stop, but it didn't work. Her barricade was broken. She was broken. She thought of her mom. How she must feel. How Trina must feel. She couldn't see them. It would be the final straw if she did. She would fall completely apart to see them. But she had to, and she knew it.

Suddenly her phone rang. She didn't answer. She didn't answer any call today. She didn't respond to any message. She knew what they were about. She heard trough the voicemail when they left a message. She knew that the messages were either people giving their condolences or asking how she was. These things didn't matter to her. They couldn't bring her father back. He was a great man. He had a kind heart. He loved his family. He was always there for them. For his friends. He would always help others. He taught Tori to do the same. He taught her to be a good person. To forgive. To give. To help. And now this man is dead. Because of some idiots who robbed a bank. She imagined that scene so often today. He standing there, trying to talk sense into them. Then one of them opens fire and wounds him. He bleeds out. And he is gone. Why? Because he tried to help them. He tried to talk sense into them. And that is what he got in return. Life wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to take him away from his family. From his wife. From his two daughters. Suddenly, the voicemail went on, and she heard a familiar voice.

"_Hey sis, it's me. I just want to check up on you, so call me when you hear this. I hope you are holding up. I don't want you to worry about mom or me. I'm fine. I've called our relatives and friends. I've also taken care of organizing the funeral. It's on Thursday, or technically tomorrow. Also, Aunt Sonya will come over in a couple of hours. She wants to help. Mom could really use her company. She is like you in these situations. She hasn't left her bed today. But she will be better. We all will. But I'm rambling again. Just… Make sure you are okay and don't shut yourself off again. Your friends were at our place today, but you probably know that. I already told mom, so you can stay as long as you need to. No rush, sis. Oh yeah, your friends. You have quite some jewels there Tori. They really care. They even offered me help, but I think you need it more. Just let them help you. It will be easier. Do it for me. And for yourself. We will make it trough this. Stay strong and call me when you are ready. I'm always here if you need to talk. Good night. I love you._"

Tori's body began to shake. She couldn't breathe. She was chocking up. The tears were running without control. Trina was staying strong trough this. She knew that Trina must feel as bad as she does. But she still decided to be the strong one. The rock for the family. And Tori was now one of her worries. She couldn't help it. It was a natural reaction. But she knew that her sister was right. She would do her best. But it was hard. Her dad would now what to do. Her bawling became louder and louder. She couldn't stop it anymore. She held it in for the whole day. She barely said anything today. Her friends must be worrying sick. It was too much.

Downstairs Jade was lying on the couch. She gave Tori her room. Her friend would need the sleep more than her. It's not that she could sleep now anyway. Her mind wasn't giving her a break at this point. She tried to think of a way to help Tori. But nothing good would come to mind. How did Tori always manage to find a way? How did she always know what to say? What to do? Hell, she helped Jade more often than anyone else. She prevented Jade from breaking more often than anyone. Even Beck. Even Cat. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she think of something? She cursed every entity she could think of. She hated the fact that she couldn't this one time help Tori. She got up. Maybe a cup of coffee would help calm her down. It always worked. While others drink it to wake up, it calms her down. The coffee machine was her favorite thing in the house. Just as she started drinking her coffee, she heard the something. It was coming from upstairs. From her room.

"Tori!" she gasped and ran upstairs. She heard the weeps. She stopped in front of the door. She couldn't just rush inside. She slowly opened it. The view broke her heart. Tori was lying on the bed, her face in her hands. The tears were running trough her fingers. She was sniffing uncontrollably and had a hard time breathing trough her chokes. Jade slowly walked towards the bed and sat down on the edge. She slowly took hold of Tori's hands and removed them. She saw Tori's teary eyes. The tearstains on her cheeks. Jade's started chocking herself. Tears slowly but surely filled her eyes. Seeing her friend like this was too much, even for the tough Goth.

"Tori." She said softly, almost like a whisper. Tori simply looked at her. Her frenemy. Her frenemy who took her into her house. Who gave her a place to stay.

"I miss him Jade." Tori cried. Jade couldn't take it anymore. She pulled Tori up and wrapped her arms around her. Tori buried her head into Jade's neck and shoulders. She cried into them. Jade held on to her. There was nothing else she could do right now. If there was, she didn't know.

"Do you want me to stay here?" Jade asked softly. Tori only nodded her head. She didn't want to be alone. She would listen to Trina.

"Don't worry. I'm here. You are not alone Tori." Jade whispered.

Jade stayed with her that night. Tori fell asleep in her arms. Jade wouldn't let go of her. It was helping, even if only a little. But that was the most she could do. Tori had continued to cry for two more hours. Jade was both sad and relieved. Sad about the state her friend was in. Relieved because Tori slowly started removing her façade. She was opening up again. And that was a good thing. They will help her. She believed it. Or at least she wanted to believe it. Later, Andre would come over. They could come up with something. He knows Tori the best. They are best friends after all. He probably has an idea. She begged god that he had an idea.


	4. Changes

Jade woke up that morning finding Tori in her arms. Tori's head was leaned into Jade's shoulder. Her shirt was drowned in tears. She slowly got up. Tori shifted a bit, placing her head into her pillow. Jade walked down. She sat down onto the couch. She had to absorb everything. Yesterday was possibly the worst day ever. She saw her friend fall apart in front of her. She found herself helpless. She found the others helpless. Right now she hoped that someone has an idea. She looked at the clock. It was 11 am. She slept like 5 hours. Not enough for her. She needed coffee. Now.

As she wanted to take her first sip, there was a knock on the door. She walked over, opening the door a bit. The chain was still on. You never know. Andre was standing on the porch. She unlocked the door and let him in. He looked tired himself. Nobody could have gotten any sleep, she was sure about that. Andre slowly placed the things he brought. His backpack was full of song texts and notes. Jade looked at him, a bit confused.

"You know. Since she loves music… I mean it is her life… she said that herself… I just thought we could play some songs, sing, whatever." Andre shrugged. Jade nodded She liked the idea. Music was Tori's life. She loved singing. Andre looked up at her.

"How is she?" he asked. It was a rhetorical question tough. She couldn't be fine. He just hopped she would be better than yesterday.

"She is upstairs sleeping. She cried herself to sleep in my arms last night. I heard her cry around 3 AM, so I went upstairs. Andre, you should have seen her. She… she was just…" Jade let her hands fall and sighed. She couldn't find the words. She didn't want to. She didn't want to remember Tori like this. This wasn't her.

"I understand. Look, there isn't much we can do now. Let's… let's just try to get her mind of this. That is why I want to do something with music, you know. Get her mind away from her dad. I mean, I want to hear her voice again. She didn't say a thing since yesterday," he shook his head.

"Actually, she did. She gave me and Cat a weak "thank you" after you guys left. I guess it took her much to even say that."

"I see. Did she say anything else?"

"She did. When I came up to check on her last night, I found her lying in the bed. Her hands covered her face. She tried to stop herself from crying, but she couldn't. I sat down next to her and removed her hands. She…" Jade took a deep breath" she looked at me with those eyes… they were full of tears and… she simply said "I miss him, Jade." This is when I couldn't take it anymore. I pulled her up and hugged her for dear life." She explained. She began to choke up at that memory.

"You did the best you could. I bet she was glad she wasn't alone." Andre reassured her.

"I know I am glad that she wasn't." Jade responded. She sat down on the sofa.

"I always saw her as the strongest one of us. She was always the one with a solution. Always knew what to do. What to say. I always mocked her because I knew she could take it. But now…" she sighed.

Their attention shifted towards the steps. They saw Tori slowly walk down. She had that empty look again. She walked over to the couch and sat down.

"It wasn't a dream." She weakly said. Her eyes drifted over to her two friends. "He is really gone. He… He's not coming…" she started crying. Andre sat next to her and pulled her to him.

"I'm so sorry. Tori, I am here. Jade is here. If you need to talk…" he tried to comfort her. She moved back a bit, so she could face him.

"I know. I know. I… I have to let you help me. Trina told me the same thing." Tori said, a small smile forming on her face. The tears were still there tough.

"When did you talk to her? I didn't hear you leaving the house?" Jade asked. Nobody else was there.

"Trina left me a message. It was a few minutes before you came up." Tori sighed. "Thank you for staying with me yesterday. Thank you for letting me stay. I'm sorry for not responding and…"

"Tori, you don't have anything to apologize for. Look, you are going trough tough times now. But we are all here for you." Andre said. She nodded and hugged him this time. He was relieved. She would allow them to help her. It was an improvement.

"The funeral is tomorrow." Tori said out of nowhere. "I don't know if… I…"

"You don't have to go. I'm sure everyone will understand." Jade reassured her, taking a seat next to Tori.

"No. I have to be there. I… I'll keep it together somehow." She said, the tears running quicker.

"We will all be there, right?" Jade said, looking over at Andre and then back at Tori, who raised her eyes to look at Jade.

"Right. The others will be there too." Andre confirmed.

"Thank you. So much." Tori said before she started crying again.

"Hey. Tori… Look, how about we sing a bit today. You know. You love singing." Andre tried to calm her down. It seemed to work. She lifted her head up slowly.

"Okay." She said. Andre smiled and walked over to get the songs he brought. She started looking trough them. She seemed to know what she wanted to sing. Her search finally stopped on a single sheet. Andre and Jade looked at the song she picked. They looked at each other, concern in their eyes.

"Are… are you sure?" Jade asked. She didn't think that it was a good idea.

"It… it was his favorite song. Our favorite." She weakly said. Andre simply nodded and got his guitar. He checked if it was tuned, and started slowly playing. Tori began to sing:

I feel unhappy

I am so sad

I lost the best friend

That I've ever had

She is my baby

I love her so

But it's too late now

I've let her go

We're going through changes ohh

We're going through changes ahh

We've shared the years

We've shared each day

I love you daddy

But I found my way

You know the world

Is an evil place

My baby is grown now

She's found her way

ohh ahh

We're going through changes ohh

We're going through changes

ahh

It took so long

To realize

I can still hear

His last goodbyes

Now all my days

I'm filled in fears

Wish I could go back

And change the years

We're going through changes

We're going through changes

We're going through... Changes

Changes

Changes

Changes...

The last words died in her mouth. The last tune left Andre's fingers. Tori lowered her head. There were no ends to her tears. She was crying openly. Jade and Andre looked at each other. Tears slowly formed in their eyes as well.

"Tori?" Jade asked.

"Tori." Andre said and hugged her again. He blamed himself. This was his idea, and it backfired. She was gone again.

She didn't speak for the rest of the day. Andre apologized a hundred times. He didn't know that deep inside it did help her. But now, she needed to prepare herself for the funeral. It would take everything from her not to break down there. She would see her mom again. She would see Trina again. She would see him again…


	5. Funeral

Tori was slowly walking towards the funeral home. She would see her father for the last time there. Jade and Beck drove her there. They walked next to her, each supporting her. Her legs were weak. It took her everything not to fall to her knees and break down again. They finally arrived in front of it. Andre, Robbie and Cat were standing there. The boys had black tuxedos on. The girls wore dark dresses. They greeted each other. Everyone's eyes and thoughts were on Tori tough. She looked worse than ever. Her eyes were red. The bags under them proved the lack of sleep. If Beck and Jade weren't holding her she would crumble. They were talking for a moment before they saw Trina walk outside. She talked to the quests. She wore a black dress herself. Her look was tired. She tried to cover it with a smile and make up, but it didn't work. She saw her sister standing there. She paced over to her.

"Hey sis. You came." She said and wrapped her arms around Tori. Tori pulled away from Beck and Jade and hugged back.

"Are you okay?" Trina asked. Tori shook her head. No. She wasn't okay. She didn't know if she ever would be. Trina pulled back and looked at her.

"Mom and Sonya are inside. Dad is in there too." She sighed." The coffin is open, so if you don't want to…" Trina explained.

"No. I want to." Tori answered. Her voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes were slowly filling with tears.

"You guys?" Trina looked around at the others. They exchanged glances and nodded.

"We are coming too." Beck said. They wouldn't leave Tori's side.

Trina nodded and led them in, a secure hand around her sister's waist. Inside were a great number of people. Relatives. Friends. All colleagues from the Hollywood Police Department were present in uniforms. They wanted to pay respect to their fallen colleague and friend. Everyone looked at Tori as she walked by. The looks ranged from warm smiles to sadness. In the front row Tori saw her mother. She was wearing a thick veil. You could barely see her face. Her sister Sonya was sitting next to her. She was holding her sisters hand. When she noticed her nieces approaching, she quickly got up and gave Tori a hug.

"Oh Tori. I'm so sorry." Was all she said. She knew Tori. She knew how her niece was like her mother during those times. Tori pulled away and looked at her mother. Miss Vega looked up and saw her daughter standing in front of her. She hadn't seen her since that morning. She slowly got up and fell into Tori's arms. No words were spoken. They were not necessary. They stood like that for a few minutes. Trina and Sonya were holding back their own tears. When Tori and Miss Vega separated, Tori looked over to the altar. The coffin was surrounded with flowers. In the middle was a picture of her dad. It was in black and white. Above it was a little smaller picture of the whole family. Mr. Vega, Miss Vega, Trina and Tori were standing together. It was taken when Trina got into Hollywood Arts. They threw a BBQ that day to celebrate. The highest picture was Mr. Vega with Tori and Trina standing next to him, his arms around their shoulders. It was the day Tori got accepted to Hollywood Arts. He said it was the proudest day of his life. His exact words were quoted on the lower part of the picture:

"_I'm the luckiest man alive because I have two amazing and talented daughters._" Tori weakly smiled at the memories. The smile got replaced with more tears a moment later. She would never have such moments with him again. All that is left of him are memories. She slowly walked over towards the coffin. It was open. She stood in front off it. Everyone's eyes were turned towards her. It was her chance to say goodbye. It was the last time she would see him. She placed her hand on his cheek. It was cold. The paleness of his skin was even more obvious contrasted to the black tuxedo he wore.

"Goodbye dad. You were the best. I love you. I miss you." She said. She slowly moved her hand away and hugged herself. She closed her eyes and took one deep breath. But her exhale ended up becoming a throb. She started crying. Her shoulders were shaking. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see her sister standing there. Trina took Tori's hand in one hand and wrapped her other arm around her sister's shoulders. She lead Tori towards the front seat were her Mom and Sonya were sitting. They both sat down. Tori leaned into Trina, who hugged her crying sister. She was choking up herself, but she wouldn't cry. Not yet. She had to stay strong for her mother and her sister. She watched the others walk over to her dad. They all took a minute to say their goodbyes. The priest finally arrived. The ceremony could begin. Everyone got up except the women in the front row. Miss Vega and Tori did not have the strength to get up now. Sonya and Trina were not letting go of them.

The priest started the ceremony. He said his regular intro. The prayers were followed by everyone. He did his routine. Then there came the time for the eulogies.

"Does anyone have anything to say about Mr. Vega?" he asked, looking into the people in the home. Trina slowly got up, surprised looks following her as she walked towards the podium. She took out a note. She had written it last night. She unfolded the sheet of paper and placed in on the podium. She adjusted the microphone and took a look at everyone in attendance. She took one last breath and started:

"My father was the happiest man in the world. He would wake up every morning. He would eat breakfast with us. He would give my mother a kiss. He would give me and Victoria a hug and the go to work with a smile. He loved his job. He loved helping people. He always said it made him happy. That was the reason he became a police officer. He taught us how we have to help the ones in need. How we have to forgive the ones who wronged us. He taught us to always smile. He did all this himself. He never yelled at us. He never laid a finger on us. He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. He was the best father a kid could wish. He was the best husband a woman could hope for. He was the best friend anyone would hope to have. He was an amazing human being." She had to stop. Her vision became blurry. She saw tears fall onto the note. She felt her throat sobbing. She looked up, her eyes closed. She took a deep breath.

"Dad. You were the best. We love you. We miss you. I know you can see us right now. I know you wouldn't want us to cry because of you. But… We just can't h… help it. Thank you for everything. I love you." She finished trough her sobs. She looked at her mother. Her sister. Her friends. Miss Vega was shaking in Sonya's hands. Sonya had tears run down her face, a small smile of pride aimed at Trina. Tori shook her head, a small smile appearing trough the tears. Jade and Cat were crying. Robbie and Andre were wiping away their tears. Even the ever stoic Beck had a few tears escape his eyes. Trina went back to her seat. When she sat down, Tori took her hand and gave it a small squeeze. Trina tried to wipe away her tears. She didn't think she could do it. But she did. And she did great.

The coffin was carried by Mr. Vegas four colleagues and closest friends. Everyone circled the grave prepared for him. They placed the coffin next to it. Beck glanced over at everyone. There must have been at least eight hundred people there. He was holding Jade in his arms, who was still trying to stop crying. Cat was leaning into Robbie, who had a secure arm around his crying friend. Andre stood with them. His hands were in front of him, one hand cupping the other. He watched Tori stand there. She and Trina were helping each other stand. Miss Vega and Sonya were standing next to them. The priest continued with the ceremony. He read passages from his book. Then the time came. The coffin slowly was lowered into the grave.

"No!" A loud scream was heard. Miss Vega fell to her knees. Sonya tried to help her up. No chance. Her legs didn't listen to her anymore. Trina went over to comfort her mother.

"Mom. Get up, please." She tried. Miss Vega didn't respond anymore. Sonya and Trina helped her away. She couldn't be here anymore. It was too much. Tori watched her mother break. She was close herself. The tears wouldn't stop. She was weeping right now. She watched her father's coffin getting lowered slowly. She was shaking again. Her legs would give out soon. Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. She looked over and saw Andre standing next to her. Around them was Jade, still in Beck's arms and Cat with Robbie. She gave them a weak, but thankful smile. She was glad they were there. When the coffin was lowered completely, Tori walked over. She took a piece of earth and threw it into the grave. The others slowly followed. The priest spoke the last verse of the ceremony, and the grave got filled with earth. After a last prayer, everyone walked away towards the parking lot. Trina had arranged lunch at a restaurant for the quests. Tori and the rest were still standing at the grave.

"Goodbye dad." Tori said and turned around to face her friends.

"Are you going home?" Jade asked. "I mean, you can stay with me if you want." She quickly added. Tori looked at her.

"I don't think I can go home yet." She weakly said. Jade only nodded.

"Can you all stay tonight? Please." Tori said, looking at everyone.

"Sure." They said in unison, resulting in a small chuckle.

They went back towards the parking lot. Trina was standing in front of her car, talking to some of Mr. Vegas colleagues. She noticed her sister, excused herself, and went over to her.

"Hey. Mom at home. Sonya drove her. Are you okay?"

"No, not really. I mean… I'll be fine." Tori said, wiping away the last tears.

"Are you coming home?" Trina asked. Tori only shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I can't… not yet."

"I understand. I'll talk to you later." Trina nodded. She turned around to leave, but Tori grabbed her wrist.

"One more thing. You, organizing all this. The eulogy. Everything. Sis, I'm proud of you." Tori said, pulling her older sister into a hug. Trina hugged back, a smile appearing on her face.

"Thank you. But now I can't wait to go to bed. I'll call you tomorrow." Trina said and left for the restaurant. Tori turned back towards the others.

"I'm not really in the mood to go there. Can we go home?" she said. The others nodded, understanding.

They all went back to Jade's place. They talked until 2 am. Tori spoke rarely, but she did. More than in the past two days. And that meant something. They all went to sleep again. Beck and Jade would sleep in her father's bedroom. Cat and Tori would share Jade's bed while Andre and Robbie would improvise something in the living room.

"Do you feel better?" Cat asked Tori as they were lying there. Tori turned around and looked at her redheaded friend.

"A bit. I wouldn't without you guys. Thanks." She said. Cat smiled in return.

"Yay. Let's sleep now. Tomorrow, we'll do something fun. Good night." Cat said and closed her eyes.

"Good night." Tori said and fell asleep herself.


	6. Worse

A ray of sunlight fell straight on her face. She looked at the clock. 9 am. Cat wasn't there. She must have gotten up earlier. Tori slowly got up and went into the bathroom. She stared at her image. Her eyes were still swollen from crying. She splashed cold water on her face. She needed to get it together. Trina was the only one in the family keeping her sanity right now. She walked downstairs. Cat was sitting on the couch, watching some morning cartoons. Robbie and Andre were gone. Jade and Beck were probably still in bed. Her mind wandered off. She needed to call Trina. Was her mom okay? Did Sonya leave already? Did they even catch the robbers?

"Tori?" Tori's thoughts were interrupted by Cat. She looked down at her friend. Cat had turned around, a worried look directed at her. Tori walked down the stairs and went towards the fridge. She got a cold drink and walked over to the couch. She sat next to Cat and took a drink. Cat looked at her nervously. She didn't know if she should talk to her. Maybe she should simply leave her alone. Tori didn't say much in the past few days.

"Andre and Robbie went to get something to eat for us. Jade and Beck are still asleep." Cat said, trying to overcome the silence. When she got no answer, she moved her look back at the tv. They sat there in silence for a while. Cat would laugh often at the cartoon. Tori kept a straight face the whole time tough.

Tori noticed Cat's nervous glances. She placed a hand on Cat's knee, startling the redhead.

"I'm okay. Don't worry." She softly told her friend. Cat's face lit up. She squealed and moved her gaze back towards the cartoon she had been watching. Tom and Jerry can make anyone smile. But seemingly not Tori. Not yet, at least.

The silence was interrupted by the two young men who came through the door. Each had a few bags in each hand, full of random things to eat.

"Hey guys. What's up?" Robbie greeted. Andre saw Tori sitting there. Emotionless face turned towards the TV. Cat got up and helped them with the things they brought. Andre took a seat next to his best friend.

"How are you?" he asked softly. He didn't know if he should expect an answer right now. The funeral was only yesterday. Her father was dead for only three days. He heard her sigh.

"Look guys, I know you are worried and everything. I'm fine, but I just don't want to talk about it right now. I… I'm not ready yet." She explained, looking at her friends. Slight disappointment appeared on their faces. They were disappointed with themselves. They didn't know what to do. "Tori would have" was the thought that made it worse for them.

"I know I'm a pain in the ass right now, so…"

"Stop!" Robbie interrupted. Everyone looked over at him. "Stop it. You are no pain in the ass Tori. We are worried. You would have been too. But from now on, let's just do something. How about today? A picnic in the park? Maybe go to the beach?" He suggested. He understood the situation. She would talk when she needed too. Pressuring her will result in nothing.

"Did anyone mention the beach?" they heard a voice from upstairs. Beck was walking down the stairs. He overheard the whole conversation and agreed with Robbie. He would play along. "I suggest we don't take the van this time." He joked, earning a small laugh from everyone except Tori.

"I'm in." Andre said.

"Me too." Followed by Cat. Everyone's eyes moved to Tori.

"Why not." She simply said.

"Then it's a deal." Robbie confirmed and took a bite of his sandwich.

"Where is Jade?" Cat asked, looking at Beck.

"Still asleep. I tried to wake her up, but you know how that goes." He shrugged and went down to get something to eat.

Jade got up twenty minutes later. She agreed with the idea for today. Around 1 pm they packed up and went to the beach. Beck was driving one car with Jade and Cat with her while Andre drove Tori and Robbie.

Tori was sitting in the back seat. Her head was leaned against the window. She shut off everything around her. Robbie and Andre would look at each other every now and then. They stayed silent. The situation in Beck's car was the complete opposite.

"Guy's, I'm really worried about Tori." Cat said all of sudden. Jade turned back to look at her best friend while Beck looked at her via the mirror.

"Why? Did anything happen?" Beck and Jade asked in unison. Cat shook her head.

"No. Nothing particular. It's just… She had opened up at least a little bit in the last two days, right?" Jade responded with a nod.

"Well, I have the feeling she is isolating herself again. I tried to talk to her earlier, but she didn't even look at me." She sighed.

"Look, we can't do anything now. She doesn't want to talk about it, and we shouldn't force her. She will talk when she finds it necessary." Beck said, driving into the empty space of the parking lot. Andre parked his car right next to him. They got out and went to the beach. The weather was great, yet it wasn't too hot. They laid down the blankets they brought and sunbathed first. After a while, Cat and Robbie were inside the water, Jade and Beck went off to get something to drink. Andre was sitting there with Tori. The silence was awkward for him. Not for her tough. She wasn't there mentally. She was just laying there, her eyes closed. Andre laid down himself, thinking about how he should behave. It didn't make sense. They were best friends. Why was it so hard now to talk to her? It shouldn't be. Why is she acting this way? He understands she grieves, but… He sighed. Why is he blaming her? Her father died a few days ago and he was thinking about how she hurt him by acting this way.

_I'm not that selfish!_ He thought. He knew she needed time. He also knew that he couldn't imagine what she must be going through right now.

Finally Jade and Beck came back with some cool drinks. Robbie and Cat came out of the water, joining the rest. They drank their drinks and talked about random things: school; movies; music. A little bit of gossiping. Everything but the recent events.

Tori hadn't said a word since that morning. She felt the glances of the others. She saw the worry in their faces. But she couldn't talk to them. She simply couldn't. Yesterday, when she saw him, his dead body in the casket, she knew it was for real. It took her everything not to break down like her mother. She didn't have energy to talk about it now. She didn't know herself what she could tell them. She didn't understand why she felt numb. She didn't feel sad. She didn't feel anything. It scared her a little. Last time she felt like this, she pushed away a lot of friends. Close friends. She didn't want it to happen again, but she couldn't help herself now. Maybe time would help. She didn't know. Last time it wasn't time that helped her. It was her father. It was him who talked to her about her grandma's passing. It were his words that made it better. But he is gone now. Who could help her now?

Her attention was caught by something. She leaned on her elbows. She saw a little girl building a sandcastle. It didn't look like much. Then, an older man, mid thirties, sat next to her. They were both smiling and laughing. When they were done, the little girl ran over to him and hugged him. He kissed her cheek and put her on his shoulder, walking back towards a woman sitting on the sand. She saw the little family. She remembered building sandcastles with her father. She remembered how much fun she had spending time with him. They would always do something together every week. They really were close. A single tear escaped Tori's eyes. The memories hurt. But that was the only thing she felt. No happiness at the beautiful moments. No sadness. Only pain. She looked back at her friends. They noticed what she was looking at. They were looking at her now, their eyes filled with concern. She laid back down and closed her eyes.

"Tori?" she heard one of the guys ask. She only shook her head. She didn't want to talk. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

After a while they packed their things and went home. Tori was still spacing out. Suddenly, her phone rang. She read the message. It was from Trina.

"_Hey, sis. Bad news. Mom had a mental breakdown. She is in the hospital now. She will be better. If you want to visit her, she is in room 203. 8__th__ floor. I'm with her now. She will be better soon. I'll call you later._" She leaned back, new tears forming in her eyes.

"God, what else has to happen!" she growled. Robbie and Andre flinched, almost loosing control of the car. They looked back at her, crying again.

"What happened?" Andre asked. Tori only lifted her phone towards him. Robbie and he read the message. They looked at each other, and then back at Tori. She was crying again.

"Please, drive me home." She said. Andre only nodded and started driving towards the Vega house. Robbie sent a message to Cat, explaining the situation. He only got a "_Oh god…_" as a response. After a few minutes, they were at Tori's place. She got out of the car. She took the key's under the "Welcome" rug and went inside. She didn't say goodbye. She didn't say anything. Andre leaned back into his seat while Robbie massaged his temples. Could this get any worse.


	7. Situations

They hadn't heard from her for a week. She didn't come to school. She didn't answer messages. She didn't pick up her phone when they called. It was like the earth had swallowed her. It was Friday again. They decided they would go to her place after school ends. Just to check up on her. But as they were discussing that idea, they saw someone approach them. Her face was pale. The bags under her eyes were clearly visible. She had no make up on. Her clothes didn't match. Her hair was a mess. She walked towards her locker. No hi to them. Nothing. She just walked past them, got to her locker, took out some books and headed to her classes. Cat and Andre had the first two classes with her. She didn't pay attention as she always did. She didn't answer any of the teachers question. He didn't push it. He knew the situation, so he let it slip this time. She was just staring into space. This would continue the whole day.

The others just wanted to get up and hold her. Ask her what's wrong. Tell her that everything would be fine. That she can come to them to talk. But they knew better. During the week, they had called Trina. She told them that Miss Vega would be okay, but for now she would stay in the hospital. Tori had visited her too. Trina explained to them what is waiting for them. Tori's MO during these situations was different than many others. She would first keep it all in, until she breaks. And then she would go numb. Trina couldn't explain it herself, but she knew that was how it is.

It was lunch time. They were all sitting at their usual table. Except Tori. She was nowhere to be found.

"Guys, I can't just continue watching from the sidelines while she is acting this way." Andre spoke up.

"And what do you want to do? Go ask her? You would be lucky if she even looks at you." Beck answered, frustration heard in his voice. He agreed with Andre, but knew better than to actually approach her.

"I want to try to do something. She is my friend guys; I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"She is our friend too. But you heard her and you know what Trina said. We just have to wait until she is ready." Robbie said.

"And what if she doesn't get ready? What if she does something stupid? You think she can think straight with all this happening. Can't you see? She needs our help, and we what are we doing? We are sitting here, waiting for her to either break again, or that something else happens. Fuck that!" he said and got up. Nobody said anything. They all looked down. He walked into the school. He needed to find her and talk to her. He stood on the sidelines way too long.

He looked everywhere. She wasn't in any of the classes. She wasn't in the Blackbox Theater. She wasn't in the Janitors closet. He looked into each of the classes. No success. After a few more minutes, he bumped into Lane.

"Hey, Lane. Have you seen Tori?" he asked. The older man turned around. His look was nervous.

"Uhm, no. I haven't." he said awkwardly. Andre only raised an eyebrow. Even an idiot could see that he was lying.

"Lane, stop lying."

"I… I'm not…"

"Lane! This is important. Where is she?" he yelled, louder than he intended to. The older man sighed.

"She is on the roof. She asked me for the key and also not to tell anyone."

"Did she say anything else?"

"No."

"Alright. Sorry for yelling, but I really need to talk to her." Andre was ready to go, but Lane grabbed his arm.

"Andre, she said she wanted to be alone. Look. You need to…"

"Need to give her time. Yeah, I heard that. But I'm not gonna wait until something happens. She wouldn't have either in our situation." he answered. He pulled away and walked towards the ladder leading to the roof. He looked around. She was sitting there like she had been sitting that day. She was looking into the horizon seemingly. She had spaced out again.

He walked towards her and stopped right in front of her. She didn't look at him. She didn't acknowledge his presence.

"Tori, look. I know you are going trough hell right now, but this is no way to act. We all are worried sick. I'm worried sick. You are my best friend, and I can't even talk to you right now!" he said, harsher than originally intended. "I want to help you. We all do. But we don't know how, Tori. We don't know! Do you even see our looks when you pass by? Do you see the concern? Do you see the desperation in our eyes? In our voice? We all want to do something to help you. But we can't if you won't let us. Please, just give me an answer. Any answer. Please. Just put yourself in our situation." He begged. His voice was honest. It was all true. Every word.

She raised her gaze towards him. Her glare was something that would put Jade's to shame. She slowly got up, standing face to face with her best friend.

"Put. Myself. In. Your. Situation?" she emphasized every word. "In. Your. Situation? You know what. No. I have not. Do you want to know why, Andre? Because in the past two weeks, I have lost my father. My mother is in the hospital. She is completely drugged up under suicide watch every second. Do you know why? Because she tried to kill herself the day after the funeral! The day we were sitting on the beach, she tried to cut her veins! Had Trina not found her, we would be orphans by now. Trina is a workaholic. She didn't sleep three hours past week. She slept even less this week. She is trying to hold it together because of mom and because of me!" she yelled at Andre, not caring if the whole town can hear her.

He took a step back, startled by her reaction.

"You want to know the reason why I'm ignoring you guys at the moment? Because I don't want to break down in front of you! Because I've been crying every moment I was alone since his death! And I don't want to cry in front of you! I cried so much. I don't want to! But when I'm with you guys, all you want to do is talk about it. I can't talk about it Andre without breaking down again! I'm doing this because I can't keep it together any other way!" she yelled, tears running down her cheek.

"I'm sorry I pushed you guys away. I'm sorry if this is selfish. I'm sorry if I am selfish. But this time, it's not about you. It's not about Beck. About Robbie. About Cat. About Jade. This one time, it's about me. And this one time, you can't even respect my wishes. This one time I need you to keep it together for me, like I have so often for all of you. For you especially, Andre! And you? You can't even honor my wish because you feel bad doing so. I'm sorry I didn't put myself in your situation. But have you tried to put yourself in mine? Have you? I sincerely doubt it! Because, if you had, you would not be standing here, confronting me because you feel bad!" she finished, took her bag from the ground and left.

Andre was standing there. He was speechless. He was ashamed. He walked down, a blank expression on his face. The others came over to him. They heard the yelling. He didn't look at them. He didn't say anything.

"Andre, we heard her yell. What happened?" Jade asked.  
"I'm such a selfish bastard." Was his only answer. The others exchanged looks. Things seemed to get worse.

"Tori is now even further away. Why? Because I couldn't just listen to her one fucking time!" he cursed and punched his locker. The metal bent, and a cracking sound was heard. The others flinched at his outburst. He looked at his hand. It was definitely broken. He couldn't move his fingers. Cat took a look at it.

"Come on, we need to get you to the hospital." She said calmly and they took off.


	8. Smile

She was walking home from school. She still had classes, but she didn't care. She also didn't care that she was crying. What she did care about was that she just had snapped at her best friend. She knew he only worried. She knew that everyone did. But she didn't know how to convince them to give her a break. She couldn't break in front of them. She didn't want to. She couldn't be broken all the time. He was dead, and mo matter what they say, what they do, nothing would change that fact. Her mother was still in the hospital. She was broken too. Even worse. She really considered suicide. She would have left her and Trina alone. She would have left them to go through this all alone. She was ready to make them loose another parent in a matter of days. Tori didn't know if she should pity the woman. If she should be mad. If she should understand. She didn't know.

She finally arrived home. Trina was sitting on the couch. Her hands were on her face. She would crack soon too. She had been able to keep it together for almost two weeks now. She looked over at Tori. She wiped away her tears.

"Hey, home already?" Trina asked.

"Yeah. Just had a fight with Andre. I couldn't take it anymore." Tori answered, not caring that she was still crying.

"What were you fighting about?"

"He… he kept trying to talk to me about everything. He basically confronted me for evading him and the rest."

"Tori…"

"Look, I know he worries. But I can't talk about it. I don't want to. If I do… I remember him. And I start to remember everything he and I did. I start missing him again. And the I get sad. She said, new tears forming. Trina got up and wrapped her arms around her baby sister.

"It's okay to be sad, Tori." Trina said softly. Tori hugged back.

"What did we do to deserve this?" Tori asked trough her sobs. Trina rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

"I don't know. But we will make it. But don't push others away again. You know that they are worried about you. I saw how they looked towards you every time when someone mentioned dad. They love you so much, sis. What would you do if anyone of them was going through this?" Trina asked. Tori understood. She knew Trina was right. She felt guilty.

"What about you?" Tori pulled away and looked at Trina." Did you talk to anyone? When will you let it all out?" She asked. "You've been the strong one all this time. You have seen more than me. I'm worried about you too, Trina. "Trina simply looked at her.

"You worry about yourself. I talked to Sonya. I talked to my friends. And I know I can talk to you. But right now I wait for mom to come home." Trina said. Tori shook her head at the mentioning of Miss Vega.

"She wanted to leave us. She almost did. Trina, if you hadn't gotten home…"

"She was not thinking straight. She is worse than you. She simply wanted to find a way out Tori. She didn't do it because she doesn't love us. She didn't do it because she wanted to leave us. She simply didn't know what to do. Desperation leads to stupid decisions." Trina explained. She really was way smarter than anyone ever gave her credit for. Tori only shook her head. No, she didn't understand. She didn't want to. There are no excuses for her mother's behavior.

"I'll go to the hospital now. Do you want to come?" Trina asked.

"No. I have a lot on my mind. I need to talk to everyone. I screwed up again." Tori said.

"And you will make it right again. You always do. I'll be back soon."

Tori went up as Trina left in her car. She laid down in her bed, burying her face into her pillow. She needed to think. She needed more time. She also needed to apologize to her friends, she knew that.

"God, why is my life so fucked up!" she yelled into her pillow. She thought about calling Andre and apologizing. But he probably hated her now. She did it again. She pushed her friends away only because they wanted to help. She knew she would have done the same in their position. But she told them to give her time. She knew this was going to happen if they push it. And that was what Andre did. He gave a damn. He gave a damn about her and for that she said to him all those things. She let her frustrations out on him. She yelled again into her pillow. She didn't know what to do anymore. Why did all this need to happen? Why can't she get a break? It was too much in only two weeks.

Suddenly the door opened. She peeked up. She saw the red hair and knew who it was. Cat came inside without saying a word. Tori laid her head back into the pillow. Cat sat on the edge of the bed. She was stroking Tori's hair. They sat like that for a while. No words were spoken. They were like this for a hour. Finally, Tori lifted her head and looked at her friend.

"Will you now try to talk to me about everything?" Tori asked. Her voice was weak, full of guilt. Cat only shook her head.

"Then why are you here?"

"I… I haven't seen you for a week. I just wanted to see how you are. I missed you…" Cat said, lowering her head.

"Oh. Sorry, I was just…"

"I understand. You don't have to talk about it." Cat cut her off. "I heard what you said to Andre."

"You heard?"

"I believe whole Hollywood did. You were pretty loud."

Tori sighed in desperation. She hated herself for having done this.

"He must hate me right now." Tori said, closing her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. It didn't work.

"He doesn't. I was just in the hospital with."

"Hospital?" Tori sat up quickly. Her eyes were wide open. "What happened? Is he okay?"

"After your argument, he punched his locker. He broke his hand. But the doctor said it would heal in a few weeks. It's nothing too serious." Cat explained. Tori groaned out of frustration. "But he is not mad at you. He is mad at himself for forcing you to talk about…" Cat said honestly, but didn't finish the sentence. She didn't want to mention it.

"Are you mad at me?" Tori asked, her voice filled with concern. She needed to know how much damage was done to her friendships.

"No. I only miss hanging out with you." Cat said honestly. "I mean, I am worried about you. But I understand you need time. When you need to talk, you can always call me." Cat said softly, a warm smile appearing on her face. Tori looked at her. She felt something again. It wasn't anger. It wasn't pain. It wasn't guilt. It was gratefulness. She reached over and gave Cat a tight hug.

"Can we talk now?" Tori asked. Cat was surprised, but her face lit up a little.

"Sure." Tori laid back down and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.

They talked for hours. It was mostly Tori pouring her heart out. She talked about how she missed her dad. How she was mad at her mother. How she was worried about Trina. How she felt guilty for acting the way she did towards everyone.

"He always told me to stay strong, no matter what. To stay strong for the others. But I can't do it. I simply can't. I have to cry every time I remember him. He wouldn't want anyone to cry because of him, but I can't help it." Tori said trough her sobs. Cat put her hand on Tori's cheek.

"It's okay to cry. It shows that you cared. You are only human, Tori. Nobody can expect from you to stay stoic trough this." Cat caressed her cheek.

"I feel like I disappoint him. Trina is managing to stay strong. Way better than me and mom."

"I'm sorry about your mom. How is she?" Cat asked, hoping she hadn't reached a touchy subject.

"She… She is still in the hospital. Trina is there now. I can't face her. She almost left us. I… I almost lost both parents in four days, Cat. She was ready to leave us deal with it by ourselves."

"Even if it did end worse, you would not have been alone Tori. You have Trina. You have Andre. Robbie. Beck. Jade. You have me. We would have helped you somehow." Cat said, getting overwhelmed by emotions herself.

"I'm sorry I pushed you all away." Tori apologized, looking Cat in the eyes. "Thank you for not giving up on me." She said with a small smile. This was the first time she had a genuine smile on her face since the day her father passed away. They talked for quite a while. Tori knew she needed to talk to everyone. She needed to apologize. She needed to thank them for their support. But mostly, she needed to talk to Andre.


	9. Apologies

She was walking down the street. It was Saturday morning. She hadn't spoken to most of them for a week now. She didn't answer their messages. She didn't pick up their phone when they called. She yelled at her best friend, and he ended up hurt because of that. Cat said that he wasn't mad. But Tori was still nervous. She wanted to talk with everyone. Beck. Jade. Robbie. Andre. They all were worried. Tori thanked god that Cat came by yesterday. Talking to her really helped. Tori felt better after that. Still, she knew that Cat forgives everyone. She wasn't sure about the others.

She saw the familiar driveway. The RV was parked there as usual. Maybe Jade would be there too. And somebody else was there, but it wasn't Jade. In the driveway, Beck and Robbie were working on a car. Well, Beck was doing something with the engine while Robbie was standing next to him and passing him the tools Beck requested. She slowly walked towards them.

"Hey, guys." She greeted them. They must have been surprised to hear her voice. Robbie spun around with a shocked expression. Beck on the other hand, hit his head on the hood.

"Ouch!" He cursed under his breath, surprised to see the young woman standing there.

"Hey. Is everything okay?" Beck asked, wondering why all of sudden Tori was there. She had been avoiding everyone for a week now.

"Did something happen?" Robbie jumped in with a worried tone.

"A lot of things happened in the last few days." She said in a neutral tone. "I want to talk to you. I'm sorry that I avoided you and ignored your messages." She apologized, sighing at the end.

"Look, we understand. I mean, way too much happened in such a short time. I'm sure no one would stay normal during this." Robbie said, Beck nodding in support.

"We were simply worried. I mean, at first, you barely said a word. Then you seemed to open up. And then that day at the beach, you just snapped again. I heard what happened to your mother. I'm sorry. But a nervous breakdown is something that can be treated and recovered from." Beck explained.

"Can we go sit down somewhere? I will explain everything then."

"Sure." Beck answered and motioned towards his RV. They went in and sat down. Beck took out three sodas and gave Robbie and Tori one. Tori took a sip.

"My mom tried to commit suicide." She said. Both guys looked at her as if she had three heads.  
"What?" they said in unison.

"Look. The day after the funeral I felt awful. I felt like something was wrong. It wasn't probably hard to notice. When I then saw that little kid built sandcastles with her father, it simply triggered memories. Whenever I remember him, whenever I think about him, I have to cry. That was why I didn't answer you guys. I didn't want to cry. He always taught us to stay strong. To keep a smile. Never to cry in front of others, because that would only upset them too." She explained. Beck and Robbie looked at each other. It explained a lot.

"When I got that message from Trina that day, I simply needed to be by myself. There was no way I could have stopped myself from crying. I went home. Trina was sitting there. She was crying. She tried to hide it from me, but she couldn't. I asked her what happened, and then she told me. She found mom in the bathroom. She had cut her wrist. Next to the bathtub were empty bottles of some pills. Hadn't Trina found her in time, I would be an orphan now. I… I simply couldn't deal with all this. I really couldn't. And when Andre confronted me on the roof… It all just came back. Everything I stored away. Everything I tried to deal with myself… It all came back with a vengeance. I let it out on him. I would have let it out on everyone who had done it. But he only did it because he cared, and I feel guilty now."

Beck sat down next to her. He put a hand over her shoulder.

"Hey. No one is mad at you. As I already said, we were only worried. Andre isn't too. He was mad at himself." He tried to comfort her.

"I know about his broken hand."

"As Beck said, he was angry. But he was angry at himself for pushing you to talk about everything, even tough you clearly didn't want to… At least then." Robbie explained. He had matured in those last two weeks himself. He didn't carry Rex anymore. He spoke with more confidence. He was the one who thought of everything. He took initiative when no one else had the guts to do so.

"You really think he is not angry with me?" Tori asked, looking at her two friends.

"We know he is not." Robbie reassured.

"But you will see that yourself when you talk to him." Beck added. Tori nodded. She believed them. Finally something didn't take the worst possible turn.

"One question, if you don't mind?" Beck asked.

"What?" Tori looked at him.

"How come you decided to talk about it now?"

Tori looked down, and let out a small chuckle.

"Cat came over to my place yesterday. She sat there first with me in total silence. She didn't say a word until I didn't speak up. When I asked her if she was there to try to talk to me, she just shook her head and said that she simply missed me. That triggered something within me I guess. That moment I felt like I needed to talk. And I did. It felt really good." She explained.

Robbie shook his head, a smirk appearing on his face.

"I could have guessed. Thank god for her." He said.

"Thank you guys for everything. You really helped me. I'm sorry again for acting so stupid." She said as she gave each one of them a hug.

"Not a problem." "Just call if you need anything." They each said.

"I have to go. I still need to apologize to Jade and Andre." Tori said as she got up and walked towards the door. "I'll see you guys."

"See ya" they greeted and she left.

"Finally some good news!" Beck looked over at Robbie. Robbie only nodded.

"About damn time. Come on, you still need to fix my car."

Tori was on her way to Jade's place. She didn't know what to expect. The Goth was always an enigma to her. She could never truly predict anything about her. And Jade had a good reason to be upset with Tori. Jade gave Tori a place to stay when she didn't want to go home. Jade was there when Tori cried herself to sleep that first night. Jade held her that whole night, and Tori knew that Jade doesn't usually do things like that. She hoped Jade wasn't angry. Cat, Beck and Robbie always reassured her that none of them was. But she was still nervous. After a few more minutes, she finally arrived at Jade's place. Tori was standing in front of the door. She tried to collect herself. She didn't know why she was so nervous. She sighed. She did know. Jade was her friend. And she knew Jade cared about her too. She saw it more than once. She was scared. What if…

Her thoughts were cut off when the door opened.

"Tori!" Jade gasped and drew the other girl into a tight hug. Tori was somewhat shocked by that reaction. Still, a great deal of pressure was taken from her shoulders.

"How are you? I haven't seen you for a week. How is your mom?" Jade asked all in one breath.

"Can I come in first?" Tori asked. Jade rolled her eyes at herself.

"Of course. Sorry, I'm just surprised to see you." Jade said as she invited her in. They went up to Jade's room. They both sat down on the bed. Tori noticed her things she had forgotten to pick up. They were all packed.

"Honestly, I thought of bringing you your stuff back today. I wanted to see how you are." Jade spoke up. Tori sighed. Seeing her friends like this made her feel only guiltier. She had her reasons. She did what she did. But she never did it to make everyone worry. She simply couldn't deal with it better. But it didn't help. She could have at least answered to one of them. Just to keep them posted.

"I'm sorry." Tori said, looking down. She took another breath. "I…"

"Look, I know everything. Okay? You don't have to say it to me now too." Jade interrupted. Tori looked at her, confused. Jade chuckled a bit.

"You do realize that Beck and Cat keep me updated on everything that happens in their lives?" She said with a smirk. Tori chuckled herself. She should have known. Cat tells Jade everything and Beck probably told her that Tori just had been there.

"That doesn't change the way I acted. I shouldn't have avoided you guys. Not after you tried to help me." Tori said and looked at Jade, meeting her green eyes. "When Andre confronted me, I saw how much he worried. But instead of being grateful, I let all my frustrations out on him. I understood his point, but it hurts talking about it. And I'm tired of it. I'm tired of being in pain every time I think about my dad. I'm tired of being sad." Tori said, tears slowly forming themselves. Jade sat closer to her and put her hand on Tori's shoulder. She looked at the crying girl and gave her a small smile.

"You've been though a lot. You did what you did. I can tell you that I would not have done any better. I would have been way worse." Jade reassured her. Tori smiled a bit, trying to stop her tears. Jade continued.

"Cat told me what you told her. I also know you were at Beck's place before you came here. I know that you are scared that you lost someone of us now, too. But you haven't. If anything, I think that everything that happened somehow brought us all closer. Seeing you broken… it simply triggered something in all of us. I guess just then we all realized how much you mean to us. The last week, you were the only thing we ever spoke about. Andre might have been the one to confront you that day, but I can tell you for sure, everyone was close to doing it." Jade explained.

"I'm so sorry. I… I simply…"

"Tori. I understand. We all do. Nobody was angry at you. Not for one moment. Yesterday, when we saw you at school, when you avoided us all the time… I guess we all were scared that we lost you. I mean… I thought that you would just stick to yourself now and push us away for good. And I wasn't the only one who thought that. Beck and Cat told me they felt the same way. Andre did definitely. He wouldn't have done what he did otherwise. And Robbie… I can't even explain how much he changed in such a small amount of time."

"You guys thought you lost me?" Tori asked. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah. We honestly did. When Andre punched his locker, he didn't even care about his hand. Before he punched it, his words were "I pushed her even further away" I guess that was also why Cat came to your place yesterday. She wanted to make sure it wasn't true." Jade answered.

Tori wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her in for a hug and burying her face in Jade's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She said again. Jade hugged her back.

"Shh. Never speak of it. We will help you trough this. I promise. How is your mother? I didn't know she was under suicide watch."

"I… I don't know. I haven't seen her. I can't face her, Jade. I'm so mad at her. She was ready to leave me and Trina. I know she wasn't herself, but…"

"I understand. But you will have to talk to her sooner or later."

"I know Jade, but I can't. Not yet." Jade pulled Tori away a bit, so Tori was facing her now.

"If you don't want to be at home, you can always stay with me, you understand?"

Tori only nodded in response, a smile appearing on her face. Jade began to smile herself. She hadn't seen Tori with a genuine smile for a while now.

"How come you only cry in front of me like this?" Jade asked curiously.

"I guess its trust. I mean, you cry in front of me, too." Tori answered. Jade only shrugged.

"I guess. And I'm telling you again. You need to talk to anyone. You need to get away from home, just give me a call. No matter when. Okay?"

"Okay." Tori answered and hugged Jade back again. She wasn't alone. She never had to be. She would not make the same mistake again. But now, she needed to talk to one more person.


	10. Her rock

She was standing in front of the recording studio of Hollywood Arts. Jade told her he was there. He would always come here when he was upset. And right now, he must be. Tori was hesitant to knock. She knew he was there. She could hear him struggle to play something on the piano. She heard him groan in desperation. There he was. Her best friend. The person she let her frustrations out on. The guy who protected her from harm since day one. The talented young man without who she would never had joined Hollywood Arts. Without him, she never would have met Cat, Jade, Beck and Robbie. Without him, her life would still be empty. She felt sorry for everything she did. She felt guilt building inside her. He suffered because he cared about her. Tori was scared. She was scared of loosing one more person. She was scared that she would loose someone she loved. She was insecure about this, no matter what the others said.

She finally got herself to open the door. He was sitting in front of the piano. He tried playing with one hand. He turned around, hearing the door open. Then he saw her.

"Hi." She greeted nervously. He didn't respond instantly. His expression was a combination of surprise, relief and guilt.

"Tori? What…" he failed to find the words he needed. She walked towards him and sat down on a chair close to the piano.

"I wanted to talk to you." She said; her voice a bit calmer than before.

"O… Okay. What about? Did something happen again?" he mumbled. _God dammit! Why is it so hard to talk to her! _He thought.

"No. Nothing happened. I just need to talk to you." She said and glanced at his bandaged hand. "I heard about your hand. I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's nothing. You should see the locker." He joked, trying to ease the atmosphere. She gave him a small smile in return.

"Not only for that. I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I'm sorry that I let everything out on you. You don't deserve me treating you like this."

"You don't have to apologize. I shouldn't have pushed for answers the way I did. I should have given you more time. I am the one who should apologize. And I will. I'm so…"

"Don't you dare." She cut him off. "If you hadn't been there; If you hadn't confronted me, I would still be sitting in my room by myself, avoiding everyone and everything. I'm sure you know that Cat came to my place yesterday."

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, she would never had come by if you didn't call me out yesterday. I would never have opened up to her. I would never have talked to everyone. And now, I am talking to you. I'm sorry for saying what I said. I was simply overwhelmed with everything. First dad died. Then I almost lost mom too. And in the end, I was scared that I would loose you." She explained, tears slowly rolling down her cheek.

"Tori, I…"

"Please, let me finish. You don't know how scared I was that I would loose you. Do you even know how much you mean to me? Without you, I would never be in this school. Without you, I would have left the first day here. Without you, I wouldn't have met everyone who matters so much to me. Cat, Jade, Beck, Robbie, all of them, who I love more than they possibly can imagine, I met because of you. You have been with me since day one. You never turned your back on me. You never allowed me to doubt myself. You never allowed me to fail. You always pushed me to be better than before. And now you are the rock that kept me from truly falling apart." She explained. He just looked at her, speechless. She got up. She walked over to the window, looking at the school.

"After our argument. After I talked to Cat. I remembered everything you did for me. I remembered how you were the first who talked to me when dad died. How you explained everything to the others because I couldn't. You tried to cheer me up. You tried everything. And I appreciate it. I didn't show it then. I couldn't show it then. But it mattered. Everything you guys did for me mattered. Especially you." She turned around to face him." You cared the most. I noticed that you called me more often than anyone. You sent the most messages. I noticed how you would try to talk to me about anything. How you tried to get my mind of everything. Thank you for that. Thank you for everything." She walked over to him and threw her arms around his neck. She then pulled him closer and kissed him. He was taken aback, but kissed back after a few moments. She pulled away after a minute. She looked him in the eyes.

"I love you."

He was surprised. Shocked. He looked at her. He saw the smile on her face. His expression changed. It slowly went from shock to happiness. He hugged her tightly. He didn't loose her. He didn't ruin it. For the first time for him, something went right. He looked her in the eyes, never letting go of her.

"You really mean that?"

"Yes. I do."

"Does this mean that… you know… you and I?"

"Does this answer your question?" she leaned in and kissed him again. She felt him smile under the kiss. He backed away for a moment. He looked again in her brown eyes. There was new strength within them. New hope. Hope that everything would be alright. He knew she would need time to get over everything. She would need support. Beck's, Robbie's, Cat's, Jade's… His support. He knew they would be there. And he would too.

"Tori."

"Huh?" she looked at him, as he gently took her chin in his good hand.

"I love you too." He said and kissed her again.


	11. What needed to be said

Tori was on her way home. This day passed better than she could have ever hoped. Her friends were still on her side. She talked to Andre. She smiled at the thought. They were a couple now. Her smile faded a bit. Her dad would have liked him. He would have been happy for her. He would be proud that she had found people like this in her life. Tori looked around. She turned around and walked in another direction. After a few minutes of walking, she was standing somewhere she didn't think she would go anytime soon. She was standing in front of her father's grave. She stood there for a while, letting everything sink in. So much has changed in only two weeks. She lost her father. She almost lost her mother. She almost lost all the people she cared about. She felt the tears roll down her cheek. She didn't care.

"It's okay to cry." She remembered Cat's words. They were true.

"This is not something I thought I would do." She started talking. She needed to do this. She didn't know if there was a heaven. If her father could hear her. She thought about it, and understood that she didn't know. But right now, it didn't matter. She just wanted to say those things. "Less than two weeks ago, I thought my life was over. When I heard you died, I was lost. I couldn't react. I couldn't think. I spent all my strength to keep it together. I remembered your words. To stay strong. I tried. I really did. But I couldn't. I couldn't stop myself from crying. Then mom tried to kill herself. It only made it worse." She wrapped her arms around herself as she spoke. "I… I almost did it again. I almost lost everyone again. When grandma died… I pushed all my friends away. I couldn't… they couldn't see me then. In how much pain I was. I didn't have anyone after that. But then, only a month later, I performed at the showcase. I got into Hollywood Arts. I remember how proud you were. I met my friends there. You know them all. They are all helping me. They didn't give up on me. They didn't let me push them away. We only grew closer. Andre and I are together now. He really did everything to help me. He didn't give up on me even after I let everything out on him. I love them so much." Tori sniffed. Her throat was aching. Her eyes and cheeks were red. She closed her eyes and continued.

"You would be proud of Trina. She took care of everything. She called everyone that day. She organized the funeral. She found mom when she tried to kill herself. She saved her. And during all that time, she always had time to check up on me. She kept everything at place. She kept me from breaking completely. Like you always used to. She became the rock of this situation. She… She is the best sister anyone could ask for." Tori chuckled. Who thought someone would praise Trina like that.

Suddenly, she felt an arm around her waist. It startled her. Then she noticed no one else but Trina standing next to her.

"Trina? When…?" Tori stuttered, still surprised.

"I just came back from the hospital. I come here every time before I go home. I saw you stand here, but before I could say anything, you started your speech. I decided to listen. Sorry if I shouldn't have." Trina calmly said while looking at her baby sister.

"No. It's okay. I… I was at school and decided to come here. I haven't been here since the funeral. I simply needed to say a few things." Tori said and let out a small throb.

"Since when are you and Andre a couple?" Trina asked all of sudden.

"I talked to him today. He was always there for me. I realized that. I realized what he had done for me since I met him. I think it had been in the air for a while. We always cared for each other. But after everything, it became more." She proudly said. Trina smiled.

"You found yourself a keeper there, sis."

"You heard what I said about you, didn't you?"

"Everything."

"And? No reaction? No reaction to my emotional talk about you?" Tori pouted.

"You didn't mention anything I didn't already know." Trina said nonchalantly, trying to keep the laugh inside.

"Jerk." Was Tori's only comment, making Trina laugh. Tori the turned around and hugged her sister.

"Thank you for being there. I wouldn't have made it without you. I love you." Tori said, making Trina both tear up and smile.

"I love you too. And I'll always be there." She said as they separated.

"Come. Let's go home. We can watch a movie or something. We haven't hung out for quite a while, just the two of us." Trina suggested.

"I would love that."

A whole year passed. Miss Vega came back home the week after. She was okay, but still had to attend therapy regularly. She would make a full recovery. Tori and her spoke when she came back. Tori explained why she didn't visit her. How angry she was. But she forgave her mother. She understood.

Tori and Andre shocked everyone. The only comment came from Jade, and it was a simple "About damn time!" The relationship was strong. It wasn't weird or anything. Tori would have small emotional relapses from time to time. She would simply start crying because of the memories. But it wasn't as severe as before. She wasn't alone. Someone would always be by her side.

She came to school that day. Her expression was a sad one. She was by her locker, getting the book for next class. Jade and Cat walked over to her.

"Hey, how do you feel?" Jade asked in a soft tone.

"You guys remember?" Tori wondered, not expecting them to remember the anniversary of her father's passing.

"Of course we do." Cat answered.

"I'm just sad, that's all. It's been a whole year." Tori said, looking at her two friends.

"Thank you for everything." She said before hugging both. Jade and Cat gladly hugged her back.

"Always there for you." They both answered.

"Come on, we are late for class. And don't forget the plans for tonight. They are opening that new karaoke bar. You and Andre promised." Cat reminded her.

"I didn't forget. We will be there."

"You and Beck too!" Cat told Jade. Jade only shook her head, amused by the small redhead.

"Yeah, don't worry. Just finally admit that you like Robbie." Jade teased.

"I… I don't!" Cat pouted.

"Yeah, sure." Jade said as she left for her class. Cat followed her, telling her to stop teasing. Tori was right behind them. They enter the classroom. Jade sat next to Beck, who put an arm around her. Tori sat next to Andre, who did the same thing. He gave her a small kiss and they focused back on Sikowitz. Cat was sitting close to Robbie, awkwardly looking at him. Maybe Jade was right. Well, time will tell.

Tori closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. She survived. Her dad would be proud.


End file.
